COMMENT
Social work practice took another hit when the Commissioner for Children released her report into the tragic deaths of Saliel Aplin and Olympia Jetson. Yet again there is criticism of those involved with the family and especially of the social work practice.
It is important that all the professionals involved learn from these tragic situations and that systems and safeguards are put in place to ensure that practice is as good as it can be.
There needs to be some perspective in these matters, though. Social work and other agencies cannot, do not and should not have a video camera in every home and on every street corner. We are all responsible for the well-being of children and young people in our communities.
And the public must always remember that it is not the social workers or police, teachers or doctors whose practice has not been perfect who have struck the final blow that kills a child.
It is almost always a parent or step-parent who has utterly betrayed their child's trust. And other relatives and neighbours who have looked the other way when they have seen abusive incidents.
Quite apart from this, an issue of growing concern to me and others is the negative impact these bad news cases is having on the social work profession.
It is hard to be a social worker knowing that you do a really good job but wake up again and again to negative images of your profession in the newspaper and on radio and television.
Hence we see the declining student rolls in tertiary institutions, at a time when the Government confidently declares it will recruit 100 more social workers. Many I have spoken to inside and outside CYFS wonder where they are going to come from.
The reality is that we have known since early this decade that there would be a shortage of qualified social workers. It became apparent then that the number of graduates was declining and that fewer people wanted to undertake training. CYFS is recruiting but it will not be able to fill its positions entirely from the ranks of those graduating this year. It may have to recruit overseas.
It is not only CYFS that relies on social workers to support our communities. To put it in perspective, there are about 1200 social workers in CYFS out of a profession of 6000 or so. Some 1500 others work in health organisations, and there are thousands in community organisations.
Most social work is not crisis work and most social workers are not - contrary to what some people think - depressed, exhausted and burning out. Some self-empowered people are in social work and this is necessary if they are to work all day to empower others.
When I talk to most social workers they say they love their jobs and know they do a good job most of the time. They know they can effect change using just themselves and the resources within the clients and families they work with.
Above all in social work, a person uses him or herself to create positive relationships with people. This is a powerful reason people decide to enter social work.
There is a danger, though, that we will lose sight or faith in the nature of our work amidst all the bad news. What can be done?
As an educator and researcher in social work, I work with colleagues elsewhere to ensure that we keep up with society's requirements for people who can work in the real world. We try to cover multiple approaches likely to be experienced by our graduates in various settings.
This includes CYFS. We work to remove the perception of CYFS as a scary place where social workers get chewed up and spat out and emphasise that innovative work is possible. We get competent, passionate CYFS social workers in to talk to our students. The message they get is that CYFS work is a positive option and that it can make a huge difference for vulnerable children and young people.
Creation of the new social worker registration board is also significant and will help to lift standards and the status of social workers. As a member of that new board I hope it will assist with a new approach to recruitment and retention, that includes attracting Maori and Pasifika groups and immigrants who can support families in their own communities.
I would like to see it facilitate a better-qualified workforce and support more evidence-based practice. I am keen for it to address continuing professional education of social workers to bring them into line with other professions. Effective systems should be a priority, and that will include systems of registration and procedures to consider complaints when things go wrong.
Promotion of the profession will not be easy, but it must be done. We need to work with key agencies and ask for Government assistance to promote social work as an attractive career choice through scholarships and other mechanisms, just as we do when there are shortages of teachers.
We need to recognise that every day thousands of New Zealanders are helped by people who do their jobs effectively and who love what they do. Social workers are intelligent, resourceful, resilient people who believe in the potential for change.
It's not an easy choice, but there are an amazing number of opportunities.
* Liz Beddoe is dean of applied social sciences at the Auckland College of Education.
<i>Liz Beddoe:</i> Much good comes of social work
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